Portland Maine’s raucous alt-punk trio and the band that Alternative Press calls the “…glorious love child of Joan Jett & Kurt Cobain,” theWorst, has returned with their third studio release, a four song EP entitled Quiet the Gods (RascalZ RecordZ – 11.8.24). Led by bandleader Brooke Binion, the EP contains all of the classic sonic trademarks that helped the band make a splash with their first two critically acclaimed albums, Jane Doe Embryo (2017) and Yes Regrets (2022), the latter featuring compelling contributions from members of Morphine, and the Distillers. But, Quiet the Gods also takes a giant leap forward in the evolution of the band’s songwriting, arrangements and production, and this leap is especially evident in the lyricism and composition in this new batch of songs written by Binion. See them TOMORROW, Saturday 11/16 at the Shea Theater opening for New England punk legends Scissorfight! Get your tickets HERE.
Quiet the Gods begins with the title track, a hard-driving ballad and an unprecedented introduction to the rest of the record, considering the first songs on the first two releases. Binion sets the scene for the entire EP when she sings “…and then you find your way home and it’s not familiar, it’s not familiar anymore,” acknowledging that the band is indeed, treading into new territory with ‘Gods.’
‘Last Pill,’ a disco-infused romp, sees theWorst expanding its sonic repertoire through the use of synth effects and Hammond organs, and Binion’s fellow bandmates, Will Bradford (SeepeopleS), and Craig Sala (Paranoid Social Club), provide a massive sonic foundation, as well as fueling an ever-changing, almost breathing animated wall of sound that provides a unique backdrop to Binion’s soaring vocals. The band has always allowed for the traditional roles of guitar, bass and drums to be redefined, whether through the commanding but always groove based drumming of Sala, or via the chordal or lead bass lines by Bradford. Anyone lucky enough to have caught one of the band’s recent tours knows full well the importance of this particular dynacism, and that the band has been a true breath of fresh air in a often stale, over done, rock scene that has celebrated adhering to overstated pomp and ritual for far too long. The world is demanding something more real, and theWorst seem poised to supply this demand.
‘Nothing for Nothing,” the third song on the EP, Binion sings “I’m way past catching my breath now, skin of my teeth and I’m starving to death, how dare you trade me nothing for nothing,” evoking a confrontational, even scornful tone when affronted by emptiness. Facing the music rarely sounds this good, or this cathartic.
‘Hackles,’ the fourth and final song on the EP, as well as the band’s first single on the EP, is a classic tread down the very road that helped establish the band’s identity from their inception. The song arrives accompanied with a stunning black and white music video, filmed and directed by the multi-talented Sparxsea, and furnishes an altruistic nod to classic film noir. The video also stars Binion’s two dogs who have now spent years touring the country with the band. As a certified dog trainer herself, the video is a befitting tribute to the core of what makes the music of theWorst so seminal as well as a glimpse into the inspirations and revelations that nourish Binion’s ardent forays into angst, regret, loneliness and hopelessness. This is a band leader and a band in full-stride, all who have seemed to become more adept with each release at illuminating the darkest places of our psyche.
The EP, as with the first two records, was co-produced with Will Holland (Pixies, Dead Can Dance) and recorded, mixed and mastered at the legendary Chillhouse Studios in Boston, MA. Currently the band is gearing up for some select tour dates and release shows close to home, as well as preparing for a return to the west coast and the rest of the US in 2025. For more info Quiet the Gods or theWorst, please visit: SOLO.TO/THEWORST
TheWorst Tour:
Nov. 15 – The Loading Dock, Littleton NH (w/ Tysk Tysk Task and Dogfight) – tickets
Nov. 16 – Shea Theater Arts Center, Turners Falls MA (support for Scissorfight, w/ Bent) – tickets
Dec. 12 – The Stone Church, Newmarket NH (w/ Doug. and Dog Lips) – tickets
Dec. 13 – Starlite, Southbridge MA (w/ Degenerates of Punk and Mighty Suicide Squirrels)
